Refrigerator shelf container positioning device



A ril 23, 1968 w. E. REDDIG ETAL' REFRIGERATOR SHELF CONTAINER POSITIONING DEVICE Filed March 2, 1966 2 Shee ts$heet l .9 .86 3 j a? INVENTORS Mum/ Pew/ mm BY lflww 6mm MQM April 1968 W. E REDDIG ETAL 3,379,313

REFRIGERATOR SHELF CONTAINER POSITIONING DEVICE Filed March 2, 1966- 2 Sheets-Sheet a e 'V/ J5 Z A j mvsmos Mum/v .5. Raw/4 mm By l/IY/FQLD 4 6mm! I array/ya 3,379,313 Patented Apr. 23, 1968 a. we".

ABTRACT F THE DISCLQSURE A positioning device for a refrigerator shelf organizing the storage of product filled containers, such as milk or the like, placed at the front of the shelf for movement manually in a column rearwardly and being mechanically transferred and brought forward in another column for the removal of the containers in the sequence of their storage on the shelf.

This invention relates to a device for use in refrigerators to enable adjusting two columns of milk containers so that new purchases may be placed in one column and moved toward the back of the refrigerator cabinet while earlier purchases are moved forward and removed from the other column.

The instant disclosure provides an arrangement whereby the user stores product filled containers, such as milk containers, in a uniform orderly manner. The milk or other product filled containers are placed in the sequence of their purchase at the front of the shelf in one column to be moved manually by later purchases towards the back of the shelf where the containers are mechanically transferred and brought forward to be available for use in the sequence of their storage. The arrangement insures that the product purchased earliest is available to be used first.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and unique device for moving milk containers stored in two parallel columns forward and sideways so that earlier purchases of milk may be moved forward from one column while new purchases of milk can be moved back and sideways from one column to another to fill the space left vacant by the forward movement of a container in the other column.

Another object is to provide a new device having a single operating mechanism which assures the necessary movement to bring a container toward the front of a shelf member, in one row of containers, return said mechanism to its normal position and then rotating said mechanism to move a container from an adjacent parallel row of containers sideways into said other row of containers in readiness to be brought forward toward the front of said shelf.

The above and other objects of the invention will appear more fully from the following more detailed description and from the drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a refrigerator with the door broken away and showing the device installed therein.

FIGURE 2, on the second sheet of drawings, is a top plan view showing the device partly broken away and showing the arrangement of the milk bottles on the shelf and means for moving the bottles forward and laterally.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view showing the rack member used to move the bottles, in normal position.

FIGURE 4 is a side elev-ational view showing the rack member in its forward position.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 5-5 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIGURE 5 showing a side view of the sideward moving mechanism; and

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG- URE 5 showing the mechanism in the process of moving a bottle.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a modern refrigerator having the main food compartment door partly broken away to disclose a plurality of milk containers 11, supported upon a shelf member 13 located in the food compartment, the shelf being constructed of heavy wire 14 to form a rectangularly-sh-aped shelf frame with transverse wire supports 15- spaced apart thereon, the same being supported on supports 52 located 7 on the sides of the interior of the refrigerator, as shown best in FIGURE 2. It will be noted that the containers are arranged upon the shelf in two parallel rows in tandem.

To move the containers 11 forward on the shelf 13 there is provided a mechanical assembly located beneath the shelf, and supported thereby, comprising a tube member 19, the same containing a compression spring 29, one end of which abuts against one end of a rod 21, said rod having a pin 22 thereon adapted to ride in a slot 23 cut in the tube 19.

The slot 23 allows a limited free axial movement for the rod before the pin 22 locks the tube 19 in axial movement with the rod. A finger grip 24 is provided for ease in pulling the rod outwardly as well as to rotate the rod as will be explained hereinafter.

Midway on tube 19 there is mounted .a rake member 26, the same being formed to provide head portion 27 which projects upwardly through transverse wire members 15 of shelf 13. To limit the lateral movement of the rake on the tube 19, a pair of opposed collars 28, 29 are provided and the tube 19 is free to rotate within an opening formed in the lower disposed portion 26 of the rake.

An arm of a crank member 30 is located within the inner disposed open end of tube 19. It abuts against one end of compression spring and includes a pin member 32 provided thereon and received within a slot 33 cut in the end portion of tube 19, as shown best in FIGURE 3. When the pin 32 is in the slot 33 the rotation of tube 19 will cause rotation of the crank 30, as later shown.

The opposite end of crank has a retaining ring 34 and is supported and journaled as at 17. It is bent as at 35, to form a U-member, and has the upper extremity journaled as at 40.

The mechanism for effecting side movement of the containers 11 on shelf 13 is shown best in FIGURE 2. It includes crank 35 and a cross link member 36 which is pivotally connected as at 40 to the crank and as at 42 to another link member 41. The latter is pivoted in a fixed bearing support and with the other links forms an operative parallelogram linkage.

The link 41 is generally U-shaped, as best seen in FIGURES 2 and 6, and provides an extension or stub shaft part 43 on which is rotatably disposed a roller member 44. The roller is positioned to engage the side of one of the containers 11, for reasons soon described.

The manner in which the device operates is as follows:

When loading the refrigerator shelf with milk containers, the same are placed on shelf 13 in two adjacent parallel columns, with containers in each column in tandem.

FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 show the arrangement. The most recently purchased milk is located at the front of the lefthand row or column of containers, when facing the refrigerator.

When the first container in the right hand column is manually removed, the containers will then appear on the shelf as they are shown in FIGURE 3, with the front right hand column space open. To bring the container forward to fill this space, finger grip 24 is used to move rod 21 forward, FIGURE 4, which movement is imparted to tube 19 upon pin 22 travelling to the end of the slot 23, which in turn has rake 26 mounted thereon. Stops 28, 29, on tube 19, move forward carrying the rake forward with them, and the head 27 of the rake contacts the container 11 at the back of right hand column of containers and moves the whole column forward. The next container to be used is then at the front of the shelf in the right hand column ready to be removed manually.

Once the bottles have been advanced towards the front by the rake the rod is manually pushed back which returns the rake to its original position leaving a vacancy in the rear to receive a bottle from the back of the left column abutting a stationary stop 65.

To move a container from the rear of the left hand column to the vacant space at the rear of the right hand column, hand grip 24 is moved forward a sufficient distance to free the hand grip from its recess 54- that is formed in the front railing 56 of the shelf after which it is rotated in a clockwise direction.

The slot 23 permits a limited axial movement without engagement of the rake and the rotation of the rod is imparted to crank 30, through tube 19, which is rotatably supported beneath shelf 13 and has pin 32 engaged in the slot 33, as per FIGURE 3. Link portion 35 of crank 30 pivots clockwise and carries link 36 and link 41. The transverse movement of link 36 brings roller 44 into contact with one side of the rearmost container 11 and moves the container from the rear of left-hand column to the vacant space at the rear of the right hand column.

Once a container 11 has been transferred as described, the hand grip 24 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, to return roller 44 to its normal position and ready to move another container sideways from one column to another when next required to do so. The hand grip 24 is finally aligned with the recess 54 and pushed inwardly against the tension of the spring 20 until the rod is firmly gripped in a snap lock 60.

Newly purchased container is then inserted into the front of the left hand column, manually, pushing the remaining containers therein to the back of the left hand column.

The above procedure is repeated as each new milk container is placed in the refrigerator.

There has been disclosed herein a new and unique milk container locating device that can be quickly installed beneath a refrigerator shelf. The containers are placed upon the shelf in right and left parallel columns when first loading same. Once a container has been manually removed from the right hand column, facing the refrigerator, another container at the back of this right hand column can be quickly brought forward to take its place by the simple forward pull of the rake mechanism. When the rake lever is released, it is returned to its normal position ready to move another container in the same column forward.

To move a container sideways from the back of the left hand column to the space left vacant in the right hand column, after bringing one container forward, the rake lever is rotated clockwise and this imparts movement through the parallelogram-like linkage to a roller mechanism which in turn imparts lateral movement to a container, moving it sideways over in and to the vacant space in the back of the right hand column and in position to be moved forward as required. The roller mechanism is returned to its normal position by simply rotating the rake operating mechanism in a counterclockwise direction.

The invention has been described in its preferred form, but it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in details of construction and the combination of arrangements of parts may be resorted to without deiparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereafter claimed.

We claim:

1. A device for relocating fluid containers and the like, stored in parallel columns, on refrigerator shelves and comprising means for moving a container forward in one of said columns and inclusive of means for moving one of said containers sideways from the other of said column and into the space provided by the movement of the container brought forward in the first mentioned column, said means for moving a container forward in said one column includes a rake member to engage the back of a container and move same forward one container width, and the means for moving a container from the back of the other of said columns to the space provided includes a roller member to engage and provide lateral pressure to a container to propel same sideways one container width into the space provided in the first mentioned column by the for-ward movement of said first forward moved container.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the means for moving containers forward is located beneath and secured to said helf member, the same being preset for moving a container forward in one column one container space by forward movement of same and upon release being retractable to its normal position, and the other means being rotatable in a clockwise direction to move a container sideways between columns one container space and of being returned to its normal position by rotating said member counterclockwise.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the forward and sideways movement of said containers is provided by a single means including push-pull actuation for first moving a container forward on said shelf by said rake member and returning same to its normal position and then rotational movement in one direct on to actuare said roller member to move a container sideways and then in the opposite direction to return said roller to its normal position.

4. A device for relocating fluid containers and the like. stored in parallel columns, on refrigerator shelves and comprising means for moving a container forward in one of said columns and inclusive of means for moving one of said containers sideways from the other of said columns and into the space provided by the movement of the container brought forward in the first mentioned column, said first mentioned means including a fore and aft reciprocal member and means of support therefor on the underside of a refrigerator shelf, said reciprocal member including a rake extending through the shelf on which supported near the back thereof and at a height for engagement with a container on the shelf, said support means being permissive of rotational movement of said reciprocal member and disposed a spaced distance from the side edge of the shelf on which provided, said sideways moving means including a parallel linkage assembly connected to the inner disposed end of said first mentioned means and operable thereby in the rotational movement thereof, and said linkage assembly including a forwardly extending part for engaging the side of a container disposed next adjacent thereto and for lateral movement thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,606,679 11/1926 Wagner 62378 XR 1,872,031 8/1932 Frick 221-66 XR 2,029,109 1/1936 Kucher 211-49 XR 2,171,110 8/1939 'Feicht 211-74 2,200,228 5/1940 Simmons 6 2378 XR 2,678,735 5/ 'r Creedon 62-382 XR ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

A. FRANKEL, Assistant Examiner. 

